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Month: March 2016

According to reports Adam LaRoche left $13,000,000 on the table when he chose to quit his job with the White Sox’s because Kenny Williams, the Executive Vice President asked him not to bring his 14 year old son to his work with him on a daily basis. Is this man an adult or what? There is not a job in America, unless you are a teacher and your child attends the school you teach at, where it’s okay to bring your child to work with you every day. Professional athletes need to understand that regardless of the sport, it is still a job and should be treated as such.

I am appalled that Adam LaRoche felt entitled enough to do that. There is a liability involved with having children in the work environment. What if the child is hit by a ball or accidentally knocked down and injured? Do you think LaRoche would say “that’s okay” he should not have been in the way. My bet is he would try to extract a pound of flesh from the White Sox organization for his kid’s injury.

The entitlement mentality displayed by some of these professional players never ceases to amaze me. As for the other players on the team who were contemplating “boycotting,” the owner should have said, please do so and every player that participates in the nonsense should be FIRED. I have NEVER heard of such inane, unprofessional behavior.

The owner, EVP, coach and GM need to have a come to Jesus meeting with the players and communicate in no uncertain terms that “going forward” no one is to bring their child to work without the express permission of the GM, president and coach and if anyone does so without approval, expect to be suspended and/or ultimately fired for insubordination in conjunction with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The owner should be in attendance to remind them that they work for him and that he signs their paychecks not vice versa. He should tell them when they have their own team, feel free to do whatever they please but as long as they work for the White Sox organization, they will abide by the rules or they can leave of their own free will or be let go.

When the Cavaliers fired David Blatt, I posted a blog asking if he should have been hired in the first place and my answer was “no.” Well, let’s fast forward to football and the hiring and firing of Chip Kelly by the Philadelphia Eagles and the recent hiring by San Francisco.

In order to properly answer the question, we need to look at his level of experience and the strategy the 49ers are putting in place, if any. Prior to being hired by the Eagles, Kelly had never coached or played on any level in the NFL. Does that mean he can’t succeed in the NFL? Not at all but his success hinges on whether the 49ers management has a “win-now” mentality or if they’re willing to truly rebuild. Prior to being hired by the Eagles, he was the head coach of Oregon from 2009 to 2012 and prior to becoming the head coach of Oregon he was the offensive coordinator for Oregon from 2007 to 2008. He was an offensive coordinator, quarterback coach etc. at other universities. Food for thought: Jimmy Johnson came to the Cowboys without any NFL experience and was ultimately very successful, so it can happen.

When Kelly was hired as the head coach of the Eagles, they were a winning organization under Coach Andy Reid. Instead of building on what Andy Reid had already put in place he tore it down. He failed miserably in Philly because he wasn’t smart like Barry Switzer and the Cowboys organization when he took over the Cowboys after Jimmy Johnson was fired. Barry Switzer made very few changes and won a Super Bowl as a result of continuing what was working. There is a lot to be said for the old saying “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Unfortunately, that’s not the case in San Francisco, the organization is a train wreck and pieces are scattered all over the place. Premier players have either retired, left in free agency or just quit because the management is so poor. The powers that be in San Francisco can learn a lot from what the Cowboys did when Jimmy Johnson was hired.

If the 49ers management wants Chip Kelly to be successful they need to follow the example set by Dallas when Tom Landry was fired and Jimmy Johnson was hired. Dallas was not winning when Jimmy Johnson came on board in 1989 but Jerry Jones stayed the course. Troy Aikman was drafted in 1989 and the Cowboys won one (1) game that season but Johnson saw the potential in Aikman and the organization stood behind Troy. Michael Irving was drafted in 1988 so they had a good receiver in place. Over the next couple of years, the Cowboys organization kept plugging away. The trade with Minnesota was the smartest move ever made because the Cowboys were able to get premiere draft picks as a result. The trade with Minnesota in October 1989 allowed Dallas to ultimately draft Emmitt Smith. Now Dallas has its, quarterback, receivers, running back, offensive line and defensive line and the makings of a dynasty. As a result of staying the course Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys won back-to-back Super Bowls.

The 49ers are fortunate and don’t recognize it. They have a young talented quarterback in Kap. They need to go out and draft receivers, a good running back, build the offensive and defensive lines and see what happens. If San Francisco has a rebuilding mentality Chip Kelly and the organization will be successful. If San Francisco has a “win-now” mentality Chip Kelly will fail. The 49ers must recognize that they have done a disservice to Kap and the organization by not recognizing that they have a quality young athletic quarterback to build around for the future. This was proven under Coach Harbaugh’s leadership. The reason Harbaugh succeeded in the 49ers “win-now” mentality is because he was a player in the NFL under Mike Ditka and he had previous NFL work experience, neither of which Kelly has, except his failure in Philly. Harbaugh was also successful because he had a veteran squad, he didn’t get rid of everybody and he found a young quarterback to build around.

The 49ers organization has to be willing to put in the time with Chip Kelly. They need to put a three (3) to five (5) plan in place. Regardless of what the media says, Kap is a very talented quarterback and the 49ers management must come out and publicly show support for him, if they want to retain him and be real about it. Don’t speak with a forked tongue in the press.

They need to draft quality receivers, not get them in free agency and the reason for that is the players will be more loyal to the organization and Kap, which is critical in a rebuilding phase. If the 49ers organization is not willing to stay the course, Chip Kelly will fail again.

Kelly’s short NFL experience was a disaster but he can bounce back. However, the key to being successful is knowing how to be respectful of the players and their opinions. These are not college athletes and he has to understand the difference. Nick Saban is a prime example of a coach that couldn’t cut it in the NFL because he was unable to work with men. Kelly had an over inflated ego when he went to Philly and it proved to be his undoing. Example: During the Arizona game, the Eagles 4th and inches he goes for it and doesn’t put DeMarco Murray in the game, seriously?

Kelly is no Pete Carroll or Jim Harbaugh and in my opinion his skillset is better suited for college not the NFL. He is learning how to be an NFL head coach on the fly. Honestly, I would love it, if he proved me wrong. There are a number of poorly run NFL Clubs and the 49ers are at the top of the food chain, so hiring Chip Kelly is just “par for the course.” That said, if the organization is willing to give him time to learn and build the team around Kap, he might have a chance at being successful.

NFL TEAMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE UNSUCCESSFUL OR HAVE MINIMAL SUCCESS IF THEY CONTINUE THE COACH/QB CAROUSEL!!!!

With everything that’s going on in professional sports and there is a lot going on, it’s important to write about how some professional athletes are choosing to live their very public lives in a way that represents family values and the importance of having healthy, positive relationships.

Is there something about the name Russell or are Russell Westbrook and Russell Wilson just fine examples of young men with their heads on straight. Now don’t get me wrong, they are still young and have made mistakes like the rest of us and will continue to do so. However, both of these young men have “put rings” on the women they love and have not been shy about it. As a matter of fact, Westbrook married his longtime girlfriend and he didn’t do it because there was a baby involved. As a community we have to get back to these kind of family values.

For those of you that read my blog and my tweets, you know that I don’t sugarcoat things. I will say this about Russell Wilson, he realized that the person he married the first time, was not supposed to be his wife and he made a swift exit, praise the Lord and there was no baby involved. He corrected that mistake with a quickness. Ciara on the other hand, is the poster girl for ALL that is wrong with getting into and staying involved with the wrong person. Ladies, I have said this time and time again, it is NEVER okay to be “baby mama” number one, let alone “baby mama” number four and that’s what Ciara is. Now she is tied to a buffoon for life.

Ciara had absolutely no business dating Future and she sure as hell had no business getting pregnant by him. Yes, he did put a ring on it and then did what he does best and that is cheat, allegedly with his stylist. Of course, he says he didn’t cheat but that he wanted to continue to hang out with his low budget friends and Ciara was not having it. Really, who gets’ married and still wants to behave like a juvenile? Now he is salty and continues to spew venom on twitter, in magazines etc. He has proven what a male friend told me once, the best revenge for a woman when a man does you wrong, is to live WELL and that is what Ciara is doing.

She definitely, moved up and on because Russell Wilson is from great stock. Wilson’s pedigree sets him apart from a lot of professional athletes. If you want to know more about his pedigree, checkout my blog about his contract because it gives a detailed summary of his family roots.

Kudos to Russell Wilson and Ciara and Russell Westbrook and Nina. Continue to show the world what good stock looks like.

In the words of one of my favorite singers Mary J. Blige these two couples represent: “Real Love”

The Lakers handed the Warriors their sixth defeat this season and the Lakers thirteenth win. As terrible as the Lakes are and they are awful, their win proves that “defense” wins games. Regardless of whether the sport is basketball, football, baseball etc. it is defense that wins’ games. The Lakers forced 20 turnovers by the Warriors to the Lakers 11. The Warriors had 57 rebounds to the Lakers 49, still a very good showing by the Lakers a team that’s typically not aggressive on the offensive or defensive boards but they were fighting for rebounds on both sides of the court. The Lakers field goal percentage was 47.1 to the Warriors 40.2, the Lakers 3-Point percentage was 37.5 to the Warriors 13.3. Once the Lakers realized they could win, there was no stopping them.

This Lakers did everything OKC didn’t do in order to win this game and OKC has better players and a better coach. It just goes to show, even a team as bad as the Lakers can beat a team as good as the Warriors if the team plays four quarters of defense and solid basketball. As I said in my blog last week, the Warriors beat teams because the players are lazy, they are not coached to play defense, the coaching is horrible and they are offensively arrogant. The Lakers played good solid team basketball, which included four quarters of solid defense and the Warriors didn’t have an answer for that. The Lakers hands were up in the Warriors faces and they challenged their shots, which is critical in a basketball game.

This win by the Lakers is good and bad. Good in the sense that the young players on the team know that they can win, if they play good solid basketball for four (4) quarters. Bad in the sense that the team is on its way to securing a good pick in the draft if they continue to lose.

Too many wins could kill their chances of getting a good draft pick. Of course, getting a good pick is contingent on Mitch Kupchak knowing a good player when he sees one. The Lakers have not taken full advantage of the draft in the past so a good selection by the Lakers remains to be seen.

Let me start by saying that I like the Warriors and I enjoy watching them play but I would like to see other teams rise to the level that hands the Warriors a defeat. Yes, the Warriors have been beaten by the Bucks, Mavericks, Pistons, Trailblazers and the Nuggets so what, these teams with the exception of the Trailblazers don’t really have the talent that can actually beat the Warriors in the playoffs or the championship. Maybe the Warriors were tired when they played these teams. Whatever the case maybe, these teams will be trashed by the Warriors in the playoffs.

The Warriors are the best team both offensively and defensively in the league and they are the hardest working. The Warriors are so good because they are relying on NBA teams to play NBA basketball. NBA basketball has become really difficult to watch because the players are lazy, they are not being taught to play defense, they are offensively arrogant and have non-teaching coaches. A coach still has to teach. Case in point, KD was trapped at the opposite end of the court, the expectation by the OKC players was that he would be fouled but he wasn’t. When he realized he was not going to be fouled he threw a bad pass and ended up fouling out. A good coach would have prepared his team for that kind of defensive play. It is basketball 101, never leave your teammate behind or go back and help him. OKC didn’t know what to do in that instance. How is a team at this level shocked by a defensive play?

The Warriors are not playing NBA basketball and it’s exposing what is wrong with NBA basketball today. The Warriors are playing real basketball and if these other teams don’t start coaching their players properly, the Warriors will win the championship again and again and again. NBA basketball is becoming unwatchable because their is this unrealistic expectation that the players coming into the league already know how to play the game and they don’t. How can they know the basic fundamentals of the game when they’re only spending a year or so in college? It is not possible.

OKC has the talent on its’ team but in order to beat the Warriors significant changes will need to take place, starting with being taught by the coach how to manage the clock, play four (4) quarters of defense, block out players and get offensive and defensive rebounds. Passing the ball around is a key component to managing the clock and getting the best shot off. Pass the ball around, don’t dribble for 20 seconds and then just throw up a shot.

Another example of the Warriors not being concerned with the teams in the NBA, Ibaka came down the court and made two attempts at three point plays, the Warriors didn’t even both to contest his shots because they were hurry up shots and the odds were he was not going to make them so they didn’t get out of their defensive stance and got the rebounds instead.

The Thunder like every team in the league must get every player on the court involved in the game or the game will continue to decline.

An example of offensive arrogance happened when OKC had a comfortable lead, they started running down the court and throwing up air balls in the final minutes of the game. You can’t do that against the Warriors or any team. When playing a team with players that can shoot you out of the gym, it is imperative that you run as much time off the clock as possible and get the best shot off.

Yes, the Warriors have outstanding players on the team but it’s exposing how poorly coached a lot of these teams are and the lack of basketball fundamentals being displayed on the floor.

Summing up this blog, I want to point out that most teams/players in the NBA are lazy and unwilling to play defense, “a la the All-Star Game.” This was not the case for Magic Johnson and the Lakers, Larry Bird and the Celtics, Michael Jordan and the Bulls or Isiah Thomas and the Pistons, just to name a few. I know analysts and others will say the rules have changed to favor the offense and this is true but who took effort and hustle out of the game.

The only team in the NBA THAT HUSTLES ALL THE TIME IS THE WARRIORS AND THEY ARE THE BEST IN THE LEAGUE.